DIGRESS: Digression

    From The Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric

    الاستطراد
    DIGRESS: Digression
    CategoryLinguistic Embellishments
    (‘ilm al-badī‘)
    SubcategoryParagraph Structure & Flow
      
    Balaghascore.com
    CodeCF-4
      
    BalaghaBase.org
    CodeQ93
      
    OpenAlex.org
    IDW4415373624
      
    Cite this page
    🔗 DOI10.64393/balagha.Q93
     Download PDF
      
    Taxonomy
    ARDTv0.1.0, v0.1.1

    Definition

    Digression (al-istiṭrād) is an Arabic rhetorical device where the communicator departs from the topic at hand to another topic, on account of a connection between them, then returns to complete the original topic.[1][2][3]

    Mechanism

    In this encyclopedia, the mechanism is described as follows:

    • The connecting relation (munāsaba) between the primary and secondary topics is what distinguishes al-istiṭrād from an unrelated interruption.
    • The return to the original topic is structurally essential.

    Recognition

    Digression may be present when:

    • The communicator departs from the primary topic to a connected secondary topic, then returns to complete the original topic.[1][2][3]
    • If the communicator departs to a secondary topic and does not return to complete the original topic, Akkawi distinguishes this from al-istiṭrād and places it under al-idmāj.[3]

    The following diagnostic tests aid identification:

    • A primary topic is established.
    • A connected secondary topic briefly intervenes.
    • The text returns to the original topic.

    Diagnostic Rhetorical Effects

    • Controlled progression. The temporary departure and structured return create a sense of managed movement within the discourse, allowing the text to expand briefly without abandoning its primary direction.
    • Amplification through contrast or analogy. The secondary topic, connected by munāsaba, colours the reader's perception of the primary topic before the return. The primary topic is thus received with enriched meaning.
    • Temporary suspension and renewed emphasis. The brief interruption of the primary topic momentarily shifts attention, so that the return to it restores focus and can increase its prominence.
    • Indirect reinforcement. By introducing a related secondary topic, the communicator may strengthen the primary topic indirectly — whether through contrast, illustration, or qualification — before returning to complete it.
    • Structural completeness. The return to the original topic gives the passage closure and reinforces the primacy of the original topic within the overall structure.

    Applying the Recognition Framework

    The information on this page can be used to evaluate whether this device is present in a candidate lexical item using the Specific Device Recognition part of the Universal Framework for Identifying Arabic Rhetorical Devices:

    • Use the Definition, Mechanism, and Recognition sections of this page in Step 1.
    • Apply the substitution test in Step 2.
    • Consider contextual indicators in Step 3.
    • Use the Diagnostic Rhetorical Effects section of this page in Step 4.

    Examples

    Source Example

    وَإِنَّا لَقَوْمٌ لَا نَرَى الْقَتْلَ سُبَّةً إِذَا مَا رَأَتْهُ عَامِرٌ وَسَلُولُ
    يُقَرِّبُ حُبُّ الْمَوْتِ آجَالَنَا لَنَا وَتَكْرَهُهُ آجَالُهُمْ فَتَطُولُ

    We are indeed a people who do not consider being killed a shame, when ʿĀmir and Salūl do consider it thus. Love of death brings our appointed times near, while they hate it, so their appointed times grow long.

    Explanation
    Al-Samawʾal begins with al-fakhr (boasting of his people), then digresses into al-hijāʾ (lampooning the tribes of ʿĀmir and Salūl), before returning to the original al-fakhr. This temporary shift and return illustrates al-istiṭrād.[1][2][3]
    Source Example

    عَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهَا مَا أَرَادَتْ مِنَ الْمُنَى لِتَسْرَضَى فَقَالَتْ قُمْ فَجِئْنِي بِكَوْكَبِ

    I offered her all that she desired of wishes, that she might be pleased — but she said: Rise, and bring me a star.

    Explanation
    Akkawi cites this verse by Bakr ibn al-Naṭṭāḥ as one of the finest examples of al-istiṭrād. The speaker begins with an initial topic, departs to a related secondary topic, then returns to complete the initial topic. This temporary departure and return illustrates the device.[3]
    Constructed Example

    إنَّ مدينةَ القاهرة تزخرُ بالتراثِ الحضاريِّ العريق، الذي يشهدُ على عظمةِ الحضارةِ الإسلاميَّة؛ وخلافًا لبعضِ المدنِ الحديثةِ التي أهملت معالمَها القديمةَ، فإنَّ القاهرةَ لا تزالُ تحتضنُ مساجدَها وأسواقَها العتيقةَ بفخرٍ واعتزاز.

    Cairo is a city abounding in deep civilisational heritage, which bears witness to the greatness of Islamic civilisation. Unlike certain modern cities that have neglected their older landmarks, Cairo still embraces its ancient mosques and old markets with pride and honour.

    Explanation
    The speaker begins with praise of Cairo as the primary topic. The phrase introduced by wa-khilāfan li-baʿḍi al-muduni al-ḥadītha marks a digression to a secondary topic. The connection (munāsaba) between the digression and the primary topic is one of contrast. The sentence then returns to complete the original praise of Cairo, illustrating the three-part structure of al-istiṭrād.

    Different From

    • Al-idmāj (al-idmāj) — in al-idmāj, the communicator departs to a secondary topic but does not return to complete the original topic. The return to the primary topic is what distinguishes al-istiṭrād from al-idmāj.[3]
    • Al-takhalluṣ (al-takhalluṣ) — al-Qarṭājanī holds that elegant transitional departure without a mandatory return to the original topic constitutes al-takhalluṣ, not al-istiṭrād. The structural requirement to return and complete the original topic is what separates the two devices.[3]

    Notes

    • Heinrichs (1998) translates the term as "digression" and illustrates it with a satirical aside, but the Arabic rhetorical sources define it more broadly as a temporary departure to a related topic followed by a return.[4][1][2][3]
    • The relation (munāsaba) between the two topics is left general in the Arabic sources.[1][2]

    References

    1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Ḥafnī Nāṣif, Muḥammad Diyāb, Sultan Muḥammad and Muṣṭafā Ṭammām, Durūs al-Balāgha (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2012), 109, ISBN 9786144162798.
    2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 364-365, ISBN 9781527316386.
    3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Inʿām Fawwāl ʿAkkāwī, Al-Muʿjam al-Mufaṣṣal fī ʿUlūm al-Balāgha: Al-Badīʿ wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Maʿānī (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1996), 87-90.
    4. ↑ W. P. Heinrichs, ‘Rhetorical Figures’, in Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature, ed. Julie Scott Meisami and Paul Starkey (London: Routledge, 1998), 658, ISBN 0415068088. DOI: 10.4324/9780203020425



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